


Just Needed a Partner

by mymindismyweapon



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, Fluffy Ending, Fluffyfest, Hurt/Comfort, Isolation, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, dance fluff, didijustaddalltagsrelatingtofluff, dontexpectmuchthough, nosiblinglovehere, theresalotoffluffok, thereshintsoftheotherrelationships, yesidid
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-20
Updated: 2020-11-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:28:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27648197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mymindismyweapon/pseuds/mymindismyweapon
Summary: Vanya misses out on learning to dance, so Five teaches her.Fiveya week prompt: dance
Relationships: Allison Hargreeves/Luther Hargreeves, Ben Hargreeves/Klaus Hargreeves, Diego Hargreeves & Grace Hargreeves, Number Five | The Boy/Vanya Hargreeves
Comments: 8
Kudos: 71





	Just Needed a Partner

**Author's Note:**

> This is almost 7,000 words of complete and totally unabashed fluff. It's too long and too detailed and I'll probably read it again later and hate it. Enjoy! <3

Pogo had sent her to the kitchen to get them both a glass of water when she heard the music. She had a slight headache at the moment because Pogo had been challenging her to translate “Crime and Punishment,” spontaneously, as if presenting a live reading, and the intense concentration made it possible that she was imagining the sound of Khachaturian’s, Masquerade Waltz. 

It wasn’t a song she could ever play on her own. It was strictly a song meant for a symphony. Something she dreamed about being part of some day, considering she had never been part of anything. Certainly not with her family. 

So when she crept up to the gymnasium’s paneled door, drawn to the echo of the Armenian tune, her heart seemed to sink into a chilling pit. She watched as her siblings giggled, red-faced, as they took turns dancing with each other. 

Grace adjusted their hands, lightly tapped at their feet with the toe of her pretty red heels, and smiled with delight at her children’s clear entertainment with the activity. They looked like they were all having a grand time. 

Allison looked to be completely enchanted, peering up at a blushing Luther, a shy smile gracing her lips. It was obvious how they felt toward each other, so a pang of jealousy punched her in the gut at the thought of not being included in such an intimate activity. Even Diego seemed to be enjoying himself as Mom seemed to be whispering encouraging comments as he grinned confidently, taking long strides back and forth, swaying in time with the robotic woman and the music. Klaus spun a giggling Ben, clasping their fingers together as they marched side by side, like they were doing a tango instead of a waltz. Mother noticed their shenanigans and redirected from her position with Diego, waving her finger at them until Klaus swung Ben into an unsuspecting Luther and Allison causing them all to tumble into a laughing heap. 

“They’re all a bunch of idiots.” 

She jumped, the voice startling her to slosh the water out of the two cups in her hands onto the floor. She would have clutched the front of her shirt if her hands weren’t occupied. 

“Five -,” she breathed, her chest heaving, “- you scared me.” 

Of course, an amused grin sharpened the angles of his face and his eyes shined. She blushed and immediately noticed tears in her eyes now that she was brought back from the tender scene of her family. Her hands weren’t free to subtly wipe them away. 

“Enjoying the show? I keep making the excuse that I’m having “tummy troubles” to get out of it.” He rolled his eyes and scoffed, “Mom is too easy to play, especially without Dad around.” 

His comment picked at the fact that she wasn’t invited to join in the activity he didn’t even want to be part of. She would do anything to be in his shoes. Tears filled her eyes again, so she quickly turned on her heel to escape. Unfortunately, the water disturbed the sole of her shoe with a loud squeak and she stumbled, holding the glasses out in front of her, unable to catch herself. 

Five reached out, snatching her waist to keep her from falling forward. The remaining water thrust itself onto his sweater vest, splashing up his neck. He winced away from the surely cold water but held her steady. 

“I-I’m sorry, Five!” She stuttered, glancing up at him through her bangs, the embarrassment urging more tears to pour out of her eyes. 

He laughed awkwardly, his hands still supporting her balance, “Jesus, Vanya. Why did y -” 

A sob escaped her throat, interrupting his gentle scolding. She looked away from him, trying to back out of his grasp. 

“Vanya, what’s wrong?” He asked, his expression darkening with concern. He followed her movement away from him, but she twisted, slipped again and jerked out of his reach. She used the momentum to gain her footing and project herself forward into a sprint. 

She heard Five end up losing his own battle with the spilled water as he shouted her name followed by a series of squeaks and startled swearing. The sound of his fall almost convinced her to turn around and check on him, but her sadness was too overwhelming. She kept running. 

~*~*~

The rest of the day was miserable. Pogo kept trying to get her to tell him what made her so upset, but she refused. She attempted to continue the translating and later, the algebra he assigned for her, but she couldn’t get her motivation back. She only became more and more frustrated with herself. 

Eventually, it was dinner time and her stomach twisted into knots at the thought of being in the presence of her siblings. She knew Grace wouldn’t allow her to skip a meal. She was always so concerned about her eating habits… but Pogo was easily convinced. Especially when Father wasn’t around, Pogo gave in to the children’s wishes much faster. It also helped that he had witnessed her behavior the whole day. So, he agreed to let her stay in her room with a reminder that her medicine might help her feel better and hesitantly left her. Pogo seemed to worry about her the most and she appreciated the sentiment, considering her own adopted Father couldn’t care less. 

She sat on her bed, replaying the happy scene of her family unfolding over and over. She tried to think of a memory when her family showed as much affection toward each other as their dance lesson, but with her involved, and there wasn’t one. Not even in the deep crevices of her early childhood, when the difference between her and her siblings wasn’t obvious yet. 

It saddened her even more to think that when they thought back to that moment of bonding, she wouldn’t be there. They would never remember her in that rare time of  _ being  _ a family, instead of a team, or even just acquaintances. Did they have happy memories of her?

A couple of tears slipped down her cheeks. She wiped them away and stood, itching for the suppressing quality of her medicine. She wanted to be asleep before they returned to their shared area and loudly reminded her of her misgivings. She knew that’s all they would be talking about tonight. 

Unfortunately, the day wasn’t ready to let her finish in peace because her siblings’ footsteps echoed down the hallway in warning of their approach. And as she expected, Klaus and Allison’s voices carried until they snuck under her door. 

“Do you think we’ll ever get to dance again?” Allison’s voice reflected the dreamy sparkle of her eyes from earlier in the day. She gasped excitedly, “Is Dad planning to take us to a ball? Oh, that would be so amazing!” 

“Mmm, yes. A ball with never-ending shrimp and meatballs…”Klaus replied with just as much enthusiasm. “Dad never lets me have shrimp.” 

Then, Ben’s sarcastic grumble chimed in, “Yeah, because you get so gassy. Even Dad can’t keep his composure around your shrimp farts.” 

Then there was a combination of maniacal giggles from Klaus and groans of disgust from Allison. There was another sharp voice, slicing through the commotion, and Allison snapping, “Oh, you’re just jealous because you didn’t have a partner.”

“You’re right, Allison. I’m mad because I didn’t have a big doofus stepping on my toes, and a chance to act like a blushing idiot.” Five retorted, a sneer directed right at the other girl. She didn’t need to see him to know what his face looked like. 

The growl her sister let out was loud enough to reach her ears. “You’re such an asshole, Five. You can never have fun unless  _ she’s  _ around. I don’t know how you can deal with such a boring person.” 

The comment would have hurt more if the silence that followed wasn’t so tense. She stared at her door, waiting for something. Someone to say  _ something _ . Then, further away, she heard his voice again. He must have used a spatial jump to have moved so far away so quickly. 

She nearly tore her skirt in her nervous hands when Allison squawked and ran toward the sound yelling, “I’m going to kill you, Five!” and then more sweetly, “Luther, don’t listen to anything he tells you!” 

She frowned with concern when another door slammed and the remaining boys and Five snickered nearby. Allison wasn’t one to let things go. Especially if it hurt her relationship with Luther. 

She chewed on her nail, settling onto her bed, her back against the wall. She would be crying from the comment Allison made about her being boring, but her attention focused on Five. She knew that he stuck up for her on occasion, because he would do it right in front of her. But she just assumed it was more of a gesture of pity than kindness that would take place when she was present. And he felt bad for her when it happened. But, to know that he stuck up for her, even when she wasn’t around… it concerned her. 

She cared about Five too much for him to risk being the target of Allison’s retribution. She wasn’t worth the trouble. 

In the midst of her thoughts, a soft knock sounded on the other side of her door. She almost mistook it for an accidental bump on the shared wall between her and Klaus’s bedroom. There was always a lot of commotion coming from his room. However, the sound happened again, but with more persistence. 

She hesitantly crept to her door, still unsure of whether it was truly to get  _ her  _ attention. And sure enough, when she finally gathered enough courage to reach for the doorknob, blue flashed behind her in a crackling array. 

Again, his presence startled her for the second time in the day. Luckily, she wasn’t holding cups of water and allowed her hand to clutch at the front of her button-up as she twirled to face the boy behind her. 

“Five!” She gasped, her shoulders pushed up close to her ears. 

“I tried knocking.” He said defensively, as if she had just scolded him. 

She dropped her shoulders and arms in exasperation. “But you didn’t  _ wait. _ ” 

“I knocked twice. That should be plenty of time for you to get to your door.” 

Vanya rolled her eyes at him and walked to her bed. She knew he would just argue until his point got across. Even if it was a dumb one. 

“Did you come in here for something?” She tried not to sound annoyed, but she had also told him not to just jump into her room without her permission. She was becoming nervous that he would do it while she was in the middle of changing her clothes. She couldn’t bear to have that happen and then never be able to look him in the eyes again. He was too special to her for something like that to happen. 

They would visit each other’s rooms almost every night so it wasn’t unusual for him to be there. She was closest to him than anyone in her life, and appreciated the sense of comfort she would feel in his presence. It was mostly listening to his theories and complaints about their father, but also moments of tenderness. She didn’t have his confidence; the ability to express his feelings when he needed to. So, he would encourage her to speak her mind when her thoughts were all wrapped up with anxiety and she could barely breathe. It wasn’t something she had experienced with anyone else. She cherished him very much.

It was quiet for a few beats, much too long for Five, so she looked up to find him looking awkwardly up at the ceiling. Even with his hands deep in his pockets, she could still see the rigid clench of his fists. 

Her worry bubbled back to the surface and she adjusted her body so she was facing him more openly and asked, “Five? Is something wrong?” 

He glanced at her from the corner of his eye, still not turning toward her. He seemed to jumpstart his brain like a car engine by blinking rapidly and then taking a deep breath before asking, “Do you want to dance with me?” And then, as if his brain stuttered, he shook his head twisting his hands out of his pockets and amending, “I-I mean, do you want to learn to waltz -” He paused with his mouth open, heat rising into his cheeks as he finished weakly, “- with me?” 

She knew she probably looked ridiculous with her eyes bugging out of her head, but it took her a moment to process. He wanted to dance with her? Did she mishear him?

Apparently, she took too long to understand for her impatient companion and he backtracked, clearly getting ready to escape into another portal. “Never mind. It was a stupid idea -” 

She had moved almost instinctively from the edge of the bed to her feet and reached out to snatch his sleeve. “Wait!” She blurted, peering into his eyes, and seeing his nervousness there. She couldn’t recall the last time she had seen him like this. Suddenly, her actions and his gesture caught up to her and she felt her blush matching his. 

She regained her footing, straightening to be a little more dignified and less desperate, and took a step away from him before replying, “I would love to dance with you.” 

Five’s eyebrows flexed downward. Not with annoyance, though. She spent enough time with him now that she realized he wasn’t always angry, as his expressions might be perceived. He was checking her sincerity. 

He had done the same thing to her for years now, especially when she was expressing her feelings about something, but not being completely honest. This time, though, she wanted nothing more than to dance with him. 

The strange intensity between them lessened as she met his gaze and squinted, “I’m serious, Five. I -” She stopped and almost laughed at the influence he had on her, always pulling the truth out of her. She smiled, her cheeks burning with shame as she confessed, “- I was jealous that you and the others got to learn to dance when I didn’t even know about it.” 

She didn’t know she had dropped her eyes until they shot up at the sound of him snorting. 

“Well, obviously. I don’t have to be an astrophysicist to know that.” She glared at his sarcasm and token grin, her blush practically melting her face now. 

“So, then you’re doing it because you feel bad for me?” She asked, a spike of hurt wedged in her heart. She wouldn’t normally say something so self-deprecating, but she felt like he was making fun of her. And now his previous actions of standing up for her against Allison were seeming less genuine and more mocking. 

She had turned away from him at this point and had dropped the grip she had on his sleeve, so when she felt chilly fingers wrap gingerly around her hand, she turned back to him. Now he was actually annoyed, even if his gentle act didn’t reflect it, and scolded, “You know that isn’t ever true. I might feel bad that our asshole  _ father -, _ ” he said the word with scorn, and continued, “- leaves you out of things but I never do anything with you because I feel bad _ for you _ . Feeling bad for people is as bad as watching Klaus eat shrimp without stopping him, and then ending up spending the next three hours in a small, unventilated car with him.” He deepened his look only to convey the next implied words:  _ “Do you understand me?” _

The look could have rivaled Mother's. She sighed in defeat, her chest becoming lighter with his passionate reprimand and asked, “Then, why?” 

His blush returned and he shrugged nonchalantly, “Because I didn’t have a partner.” 

Now she searched his face for any trace of insincerity. He was totally lying, but she also knew now that he wasn’t doing it because he felt bad for her and that was her only concern. She didn’t want their relationship to turn into a basis for pity. 

She hummed, then tried and failed to hide a small smile spreading on her face. Her chest fluttered with fondness for him. 

She maneuvered her body so she was facing him now, almost in a similar way to the expectations of their father. With her straightened back, and hand still in his, she reported, “Okay, sensei. Where do we start?”

He rolled his eyes and retorted, “That is Grandmaster Terpsichorean, to you.” 

“Umm, what?” She giggled, covering her mouth with her other hand. 

He smiled back and explained, “Terpsichorean is a German word for dancer. Grandmaster Number Five will do, I suppose.” 

This time it was her turn to roll her eyes. He was always showing off his academic prowess any chance he had. “You got it, Grandmaster Number Five.” 

He smiled smugly. He was enjoying this way too much. "Now," he began, his voice taking on a tone similar to Pogo's when he was explaining subject-verb agreement in the Russian language earlier in the day, "It's quite simple. You step in the shape of a square. Start by stepping forward with your left, follow with your right going to the diagonal from where you began, meet both feet, step back with your right, follow with your left going back to where you began and meeting both feet." 

He had stepped away from her to demonstrate his instruction. He held her hand yet, holding his arm out straight so he had space to move. She noticed his fingers had become clammy as he continued his demonstration and almost comically stared down at his feet like they would detach and escape him. She grinned at the rapid change in confidence and found it to be quite cute. 

So when he looked back up at her through his bangs he glared at her and snapped, "What?"

She shook her head quickly, unable to suppress her amusement, "You're very good at this."

"Look," he dropped her hand to cross his arms, "I don't have to do this. I didn't want to learn to dance in the first place." 

Looking on at his pouting dimples and reddening cheeks she realized what he was really doing for her. 

"I'm sorry, Five. I didn't mean to make fun of you. You're just a lot better at this than I expected." 

"Oh? You didn't think I would be good at dancing?" She knew he was still irritated by the quirk in his eyebrow so she pulled the card she knew would bring his ego back.

"I don't know why I thought that. You're good at everything you do." It took every ounce of self control to keep a straight face. She even acted a little ashamed, holding her hands behind her back. 

"Mmhmm. I guess I can give you one more chance. As a new student discount." That strategy was always foolproof with him. 

She milked it even further by gushing, "Oh thank you, Grandmaster Number Five. I'm blessed by your grace." 

She felt like she was absolutely channeling Klaus at the moment and even felt a goofy grin on her face. 

Five seemed to also sense it as he rolled his eyes with exasperation and waved at her silliness like it was an annoying fly. "Okay, you can stop now. Are we doing this or what?"

"Yes, please!" She replied quickly before he changed his mind again. "Should we try it together?" 

"Sure." He said and hesitantly stepped closer to her. "I put one hand on your waist and you put one on my shoulder." As if he was narrating his own life and inadvertently asking for permission, he reached for her waist but didn't touch her yet. His hand hovered, waiting. 

She placed a hand on his shoulder and asked, "Like this?" Five was slightly taller than her now, his growth spurt finally pushing him to be a few inches passed her short stature once they turned fifteen. She had to reach for his shoulder, while he could comfortably rest his hand at the curve of her waist. Which he did, as soon as she initiated their contact.

He held his other hand up as if in offering and cleared his throat, “Your other hand here…” 

She hummed with acknowledgement and hooked her hand over the crook of his thumb. Holding hands wasn’t a new occurrence for them, but dancing was. Holding his hand in this way felt different; warmer and closer. She thought it had to do with the fact that they were facing each other, gazing into each other’s eyes. The heat in her cheeks urged her mouth into a nervous smile. 

Five seemed to shake himself and recompose as he went into instructor mode again, “Remember that we are just stepping in a square. So if I move my foot toward you, you will move back.” He did exactly that, slowly sliding his foot until she caught on to his intention and slid her foot back. “Then we meet our feet.” She lost her balance a little as she readjusted her weight in order to move her other foot in coordination with Five’s. 

His hand pressed into her side steadying her. She smiled up at him gratefully realizing she was doing exactly what she was laughing at him for earlier. 

“Not so easy without looking at your feet, is it?” He teased smugly. 

She rolled her eyes, “Yeah, yeah. I’m still learning.” 

He urged her foot to follow his to the side now, then stepped with the other back toward him before stopping with both feet together again. 

They glanced up at each other, realizing they were both staring blatantly down at their feet, and grinned. 

“Let’s do it a few more times.” Five suggested, readjusting his fingers around her hand. Vanya thought he did it to have a better grip on her as she continued to struggle with her balance between switching movement to different feet. She nodded, a warm flutter growing in her chest. 

They stepped in the shape of a square three more times, evolving into something more confident, before Five explained that Grace taught them how to keep their steps in time with each other by counting to three. 

“One...two...three...one...two...three.” Somehow, counting to three was adding a function that overloaded his brain because he began knocking his knees into hers and jamming the toe of his shoe into her, practically kicking her foot away from him. 

“Ow!” She complained, as she stumbled with the loss of stability at the end of her step. “Why are you counting to three, again?” She thought the path he taught her was becoming easier for them until he added in the counting. She held him in place so he wouldn’t pinch the ends of her toes or jerk her forward again.

He huffed, “Grace said that it keeps your partner insync with you.” His jaw jutted out stubbornly. 

She looked up at him, feeling bad that she was embarrassing him again, but asked trying to understand, “Why counting to  _ three  _ though?”

He sighed loudly, clearly irritated. He didn’t like being questioned when he was supposed to be the expert. “I don’t know! I came in during the last part of that piece because I had to change my wet pants from falling in a puddle of water.” He stared down at her accusingly, then added, “Maybe something to do with the music.” 

She frowned, remembering that she never checked to see if he got hurt from that incident. She ran away when she knew he fell. “Did you get hurt? I’m sorry I ran away like that.” 

The tops of his cheeks colored and he rolled his eyes, “It would be pretty pathetic if I got hurt from slipping on some water.” 

“Okay... I’m sorry I didn’t check earlier. It’s my fault you fell in the first place.” She lamented meeting his eyes. She really did feel bad about not helping him. It almost felt as though it was her duty to patch him up when he got injured; especially after missions. It was the least she could do for him. 

“You don’t need to worry about me. I’m fine.” His lips pushed his dimples out and she knew he was not approving of her apology. He always said she did that too much. 

She opened her mouth to say something else but her thoughts interrupted her and she exclaimed, “Oh!” 

“What -?” He started but she dropped her hands from him, missing the warmth of him as she turned away to scurry to her dresser. 

“We need music!” She declared smiling over her shoulder at him as she lifted the boombox she got for her birthday last year from Mom off the top of the wooden drawers. “Mom said to count to three because that’s the type of music you dance to when you waltz.” The echo of  _ Masquerade Waltz’s  _ beat tapped on her brain, the stress of the first note alerting her musical experience to recognize its pattern. 

“I don’t get it.” He drawled, scrutinizing her as she shuffled through her collection of CDs spotlighting classical composers’ “greatest masterpieces.” 

“You’ll get it in a minute.” She countered, pulling out what she was looking for and popping the plastic lid to the disk reservoir. It creaked open and she carefully placed it on the round nub that held it in place. The light scrape as it spun the flat circle signified its operation. She clicked the hard plastic buttons until she found the track she wanted. She purposely chose this album not because it had examples of a waltz, but it had  _ obvious  _ examples of a waltz. 

She returned to her position in front of Five and listened as the robust music filled the room. It was faint but full of energy. Just as a waltz should be. 

“If you listen, you can count the beats in groups of three.” She grinned at his doubtful expression and demonstrated, “One, two, three, one, two, three,” finding the beat easily and nodding her head in tempo, “- one, two, three, one, two, three. Do you hear it yet?” 

He cocked his head, always one to take on a challenge and tried counting, “One, two, three, one, two…” he paused, his eyebrows drawing inward. 

She giggled, noticing that he was off by a beat and explained, “Do you hear one of the beats being stressed? That’s when you say ‘one,’ or start the pattern over.” 

She counted and he followed her lead, copying the way she dipped her head when the measure would start over at one. 

Her smile widened as his eyes brightened with understanding and he returned her smile triumphantly. 

“Like I said, you’re good at everything you do.” She teased, getting a sharper grin from him. 

He cocked his eyebrow and bragged, “You’re damn right I am.” 

She laughed and then held up her hand, “You want to give it a try? We might have to start slow.” 

He was more eager this time, as he took her hand and placed a palm on her waist. “Bring it on.” 

She rolled her eyes despite the renewed excitement in her belly. They began the steps again but slowed them down so they were only moving for each set of three instead of matching the beats. It was much too fast for them at first. 

The duo recited the number pattern, Five losing track every once in a while when the music would transition into a varying tempo and change keys. She would keep the beat for him and guide him back into the timed chant.

By the end of the piece, their eyes were level with each other and they grinned with confidence. There was a pause in between tracks where they stopped their movements and stood waiting as the CD player made some clicking noises. 

“We’re getting pretty good at this.” She declared, adjusting her hand in his.

Five raised his eyebrows with disdain, “I knew I could do this if I had a partner.” He met her eyes and added with red cheeks, “A partner who actually knows what they’re doing.” 

She smiled in return and opened her mouth to show her gratitude to him for including her, but was interrupted as he jerked her towards him, squashing their bodies together. 

She gasped as a signature grin sharpened his features again. It wasn’t a smile she found charming. His canines shined threateningly.

“Now for something more challenging.” He announced with menace. The music was just beginning as he forced their arm out straight like he was aiming them to fire at an enemy. 

“Five -” She warned and squeaked as he marched them to the side, whirled them in the other direction and did it again. Her room wasn’t very big, so the amount of times they twirled seemed to build up their momentum every time. 

“Five!” She giggled, clutching his shoulder to avoid being flung out of his grasp. She glanced up at him and laughed harder at his stoic, serious expression. 

She tapped his shoulder, his silliness leaking through her defenses, and told him, “C’mon, you’re doing it wrong!” 

“Oh you think you can do better?” He challenged, loosening his grip as she signaled her withdrawal from him. 

She smoothed her shirt and straightened her back as if her father were in the room and met the eyes of the boy standing across from her with complete solemnity. He nearly broke her composure as he chuckled, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow. 

She pictured the movements Diego demonstrated when Luther would have the rare urge to play his music loud enough for them all to hear it. Her limbs drooped like a puppet as she hinged her elbows and knees in a way that would be awkward if she wasn’t dancing. She rocked them upward and to the sides, laughing in unison with her best friend. 

He swiped her shoulder to get her attention and she watched as he completed one of Klaus’s signature moves, pointing his fingers upward and downward, moving his hips not nearly in time with the music. 

She gasped, her laughter making it hard for her to breathe as she watched the most serious person in the house next to her father, dancing like he can really “get his groove on” as Klaus would say. 

His bangs had fallen over his forehead as he moonwalked backward, his shoes not quite sliding the way Allison had shown them all in the last dance session they had as a family. 

He made a noise of annoyance when he realized his shoes weren’t cooperating and said, “Whatever.” He cocked an eyebrow at her and stepped up as he had before, closing his fingers around her palm again and wrapping an arm around her waist until they were chest to chest. She knew she blushed, but she was too distracted by the light sparking in his eyes to feel uncomfortable. 

He rocked them across the room, their arms straight out again but with more of an Elvis Presley twist in his footwork this time. She matched his movements and they tottered back and forth, shuffling across the floor and giggling.

“Not bad, Mr. Presley.” Five teased, winking at her. 

Her heart nearly jumped out of her throat as she blinked rapidly, hoping the air from her eyelashes would cool her cheeks before he noticed. 

He seemed to not see her reaction, as he continued his jirations. Before she could reply though, he threw that ornery look at her again, right in the middle of a hip sway and grinned. 

“You ready?” He asked, amusement clear on his face at the horror she was certainly showing him in response to his nefarious question. 

“Whatever you’re going to do, don’t -” She pleaded quickly, her words lost as he flung her out towards her bed. She stopped abruptly, staring down at her quilt, her hair a curtain around her face. She didn’t have the courage to look back at Five, knowing too well what kind of expression awaited her. So instead, she tightened her grip on his hand and heard a quick chuckle before her body was jerked back, her feet tangling as she ended up turning 180 degrees. 

She just hoped Five knew what he was doing. She tried not to think about the fact that he was actually really bad at dancing and only used his physical prowess to try overcoming it instead of learning the actual technique. But somehow, she knew he wouldn’t let her get hurt. Especially if he was the one in control of the situation. So she closed her eyes and let her legs wrap up to the point that there was not a chance of her regaining her balance. 

She felt her body falling backward, strands of her hair whipping her face. But again, just a couple of feet from landing painfully on the floor, she was suddenly stopped with something bracing her back. She kept her eyes squeezed shut until a puff of air blew her bangs back and Five’s snicker touched her ears. 

She peeked her eyes open to find bright blue ones staring back at her. She could see the wrinkles of delight creasing his eyebrows in a way that made her blush. 

“I’m going to kill you.” She muttered, trying not to look at any other part of his face. He was just so close. 

He laughed again, lifting her until she was back on her own feet. “Oh, you know you had fun.” 

She moved her hands to his shoulders, still unsteady on her own, “You’re insane.” 

He sensed her imbalance, still keeping his hands secure around her and asked, “You okay? Got some vertigo from a couple of spins?” 

She glared at him. He would always tease her for any evidence that she didn’t receive the same physical training as him. It didn’t seem to bother her as much as she would have thought though. He had even asked her once if it made her sad that he did that. It really didn’t. She knew she wasn’t as strong as him, but he didn’t value her any less because of it. She didn’t feel ordinary with him like she did everywhere else she went. 

She softened her look, realizing that he was picking on her while also wanting to know that she was safe. He was always so concerned about her. 

Before she knew it, she leaned into him resting her forehead on the side of his neck. “I’m alright as long as I’m with you.” She clenched her jaw with embarrassment, realizing what she had just said. 

She bit her lip, too afraid to step away and face him, so she waited for his reply. 

It came after a short beat and the pressure of his cheek resting on the top of her head. 

“Good.” Was all he whispered. Her head was tilted toward the one pair of hands that were still joined. She observed his long fingers enveloping hers and realized how safe she felt in that moment; So cared for. 

A new song began in a darker tone, matching the new mood and she found herself being led into a slight sway. Their feet didn’t move in any particular pattern, just tracing each other’s path. The way her face was situated, the light pulse in his neck pressed gently against the space between her eyebrows. She didn’t think she had ever been so close to him; or anyone, really. Sure, they had hugged in their most difficult of times, more instances for her than him, and they had happened more often recently, but it wasn’t anything like it was then. She even felt a long, deep sigh flutter through him like he felt the same level of calm. She only ever witnessed this quietness from him when he slept. 

She thought this was the most opportune time to express her sincere gratitude, when he wasn’t being cocky or silly. She really wanted him to understand how much she appreciated him. So she whispered, “Thank you, Five.” 

He replied in just as quiet a voice as if trying not to wake up the nonexistent person in the room, “For what?” 

She didn’t want it to turn into another reason for him to feel bad for her or scold her, so she leaned away, peeling her forehead away from his skin. When he looked down at her with his eyes half-lidded, darkening his iris into a deep navy, she thought about Allison and Luther. She didn’t know why she thought of them at that moment, but she guessed that it was because Five was looking at her the way Luther looked at Allison. Even from the door of the gymnasium, yards and yards away, she could recognize the affection in his eyes when Allison was dancing with him. Now Five looked at her like that and it made her heart race. 

She swallowed quickly and glanced down and away from the overwhelming depth of his eyes. “For being with me.” She felt even more shy saying it now that she wasn’t hiding from him, and she knew he was looking right at her. 

Again, his silence forced her eyes back to him. His face was like before when he dipped her during their impromptu dance session - much too close. But before she could lean away, his lips pressed against hers. Her heart tapped frantically against her ribs, vibrating her insides. In a frantic moment like this, she would normally seek him out and allow herself to get lost in his reassuring words and eager eyes. But she couldn’t. His eyes were shut and his mouth was occupied with kissing her. Five was  _ kissing _ her. 

His mouth was tender and warm, just like his hugs and when he would squeeze her hands. All of the times he comforted her or stuck up for her or hung out with her at night during the short period of free time they received were becoming more clear. He sat closer to her, teased her more, found more excuses to touch her, and she didn’t realize that their relationship was changing. 

Finally, she tilted her head in response, deepening their kiss passed the slight press of his lips. It was like earlier in the night when he waited for her to set up their dancing position. He was hovering, waiting. And to think she thought Five was impatient. She almost laughed at herself.

As expected, once her consent was given, he showed her what he was waiting for and pulled her closer, readjusting their hands so he could hold them to his chest and moved his lips gently. She followed his lead, just as she had earlier, and felt complete trust in him. She knew he would never hurt her. 

As their movements became more familiar and the initial surprise of his display of affection settled into a pleasant flutter in her heart instead, their hold on each other became even closer - not a breath of space between them. 

Five nudged her cheek with his nose as he ended the kiss, somehow keeping them as close as before. She opened her eyes and was met with the same sentiment as before. She smiled despite herself, receiving the softest smile she had ever seen on him. It wasn’t sarcastic or mean like they normally were, but bright and soft. 

“I always want to be with you.” He breathed, his nose bumping hers gently. The heat in his cheeks became more evident with how close she was as he added a little less eloquently, “Because I love you.” 

She knew those words were coming as soon as the epiphany he triggered occurred, so it was not as jarring as it could be. Yet, the small amount of time she relished in the idea that he loved her, Five became self-conscious and he began rambling, his eyes looking wide and frantic, “You don’t have to say it back. I just thought you should know how I -” 

She kissed him, just a peck over his nervous mouth, over and over until he kissed her back and his insecurities were forgotten. She found that it took a lot of control to pull herself away again and blurt, “I love you, too.” 

His smile widened, his teeth glistening with delight. He had smiled so much that night. It warmed her heart. He lured her in and kissed her lips again with a little more passion. 

She pulled away to grin at him teasingly, “You really are good at everything you do.”

He nuzzled her cheek, chuckling as he spun them in a slow circle, “Only because I have a partner to practice with.”

**Author's Note:**

> If you follow my main fic, No Individual Stronger than the Collective, you know that we have been starved of Five and Vanya content for a VERY long time. Therefore, as the writer of said story, I have been desperate for some Five and Vanya love. I don't know if that was clear from this overly long, extra fluffy standalone, but this is the result of my need. The fics everyone has been posting from Fiveya week and beyond have kept my heart from shriveling up into a ball of nothing, but there's nothing like writing exactly what you want. Which is what this is. I hope you all got the same satisfaction I did. Even if it was super extra. <3


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